Pandering won't net youth
vote
Tonya Jameson / Knight Ridder Newspapers
(KRT)
One by one the college-age students looked into the camera
and asked presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry about his
views on foreign policy, gay marriage, rising college tuition
and whether he ever Googled himself.
Kerry mostly stuck to his campaign speech as he deftly
answered each query during an interview with Gideon Yago that
aired Tuesday night on MTV. Kerry's foreign policy would
build coalitions with allies, he supports civil unions, he
has a plan to help make college affordable and - yes,
he's Googled himself.
Kerry's appearance was part of MTV's "Choose or
Lose 2004" campaign to mobilize young voters. The
network's viewers and people under age 30 make up a
powerful voting bloc, and pop culture trendsetters are
reaching out to them this year.
Along with the venerable Rock the Vote and MTV, Russell
Simmons' Hip-Hop Summit Action Network and the WWE's
Smackdown Your Vote are encouraging young people to vote. The
Declare Yourself campaign brings spoken word performances and
concerts to college campuses. They are all part of a 100-plus
coalition of organizations striving to register 20 million
new young voters.
Registration is good PR for these groups, but education is
critical if these organizations really hope young people will
affect this year's election. Right now, neither party has
articulated an agenda that specifically addresses the
concerns of Gens X and Y. Instead, talk of jobs, health care
and the war on terrorism is lumped into broader campaign
rhetoric that isn't easily decipherable.
Chris Jeltrup, 24, a Charlotte, N.C., market analyst, said
the candidates talk about health care and Social Security,
which doesn't interest him.
"That means nothing. To me, that's an old
person's issue," he said.
Jeltrup said he wasn't impressed by President Bush or
Kerry, the likely Democratic nominee. Brandon Banner agreed.
"Eighty percent of what they're talking about
doesn't affect me or my family," said Banner, 24, a
Charlotte stockbroker.
The void between young voters and politicians received
national attention in March because Philadelphia-based
retailer Urban Outfitters was selling "Voting is for Old
People" T-shirts. Political think tanks and voters of
all ages criticized the slogan as apathetic.
It was neither. The shirt focused attention on how and
whether the parties and candidates are catering to young
voters.
Efforts thus far haven't been impressive. Yes, the
Republican National Committee's voter registration
tractor-trailer, equipped with video games, is touring
college campuses. It appeared on MTV's "TRL"
two weeks ago. And the Democratic National Committee has
hosted fund-raisers in trendy nightclubs in Washington and
Atlanta.
Young voters are too savvy to be swayed by star-studded
parties and cool trucks. They see their friends and relatives
fighting and dying in Iraq, while they face rising college
tuition bills, exorbitant health-care costs and a jobless
economy.
They want answers, not patronizing outreach. According to a
Declare Yourself survey, 61 percent of people 18 to 29 who
aren't registered to vote say they don't know enough
about the candidates and about politics or the issues.
It's easy to understand why. The glut of information on
the Internet is unwieldy. Too often, links to various Web
sites don't work or don't provide comprehensive
information about specific issues.
Groups interested in reaching young voters could learn from
Charlotte's MeckPAC, which sends questionnaires to
political candidates about issues of concern to gays and
lesbians, such as their feelings on domestic partnership
benefits. The political action committee then makes
endorsements based on the candidates' responses and other
factors.
MTV, Hip-Hop Summit and WWE could create a voting guide
geared toward young adult issues without endorsing a
particular candidate.
The Kerry interview on MTV is a step toward educating young
voters, but it's only a step. Entertainment organizations
are more in touch with the concerns of young adults than
national political parties. Voter registration drives are
good marketing strategies, but now is the time for pop
culture trendsetters to impact something other than their
bottom lines.
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ABOUT THE WRITER
Tonya Jameson is a columnist for the Charlotte Observer.
Readers may write to her at: Charlotte Observer, 600 South
Tryon Street, Charlotte, N.C. 28202-1880.
___
(c) 2004, The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.).
Visit The Charlotte Observer on the World Wide Web at
http://www.charlotte.com/
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
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